Glamorous Diana dresses up for auction

Associated Press

Associated Press

Updated 2:18 pm, Friday, March 1, 2013

A Victor Edelstein midnight-blue velvet evening gown worn by Britain's Princess Diana when she danced with actor John Travolta in 1985 at the State dinner at the White House given by President and Mrs Reagan, is adjusted by house assistant Lucy Bishop at the Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise 200,000-300,000 pounds ( 310,000-464,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

A Victor Edelstein midnight-blue velvet evening gown worn by...

A Victor Edelstein midnight-blue velvet evening gown worn by Britain's Princess Diana when she danced with actor John Travolta in 1985 at the State dinner at the White House given by President and Mrs Reagan, is adjusted by house assistant Lucy Bishop at the Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise 200,000-300,000 pounds ( 310,000-464,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

A Victor Edelstein midnight-blue velvet evening gown worn by...

The beaded neckline of a Catherine Walker black velvet evening gown worn for a Vanity Fair photo shoot by Britain's Princess Diana is adjusted by house assistant Lucy Bishop at the Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise 50,000-70,000 pounds ( 77,000-108,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

A Catherine Walker sea-green sequined evening gown worn for the State visit to Austria by Britain's Princess Diana is adjusted by house assistant Lucy Bishop at the Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise 30,000-50,000 pounds ( 46,000-77,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

A Catherine Walker sea-green sequined evening gown worn for the...

Beading detail is shown on a Catherine Walker burgundy velvet sheath with embroidered tailcoat worn for the State visit to Korea in 1992 by Britain's Princess Diana, at the Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise 40,000-60,000 pounds ( 62,000-93,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

Beading detail is shown on a Catherine Walker burgundy velvet...

The bolero is adjusted on a Catherine Walker Mughal inspired embroidered pink silk evening gown made for Princess Diana's State visit to India in 1992, at Kerry Taylor auction rooms in London, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. The dress estimated to realise between 80,000-120,000 pounds (124,000- 186,000 US Dollars) will be sold in the Fit For a Princess auction in London on March 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth

LONDON — If dresses could talk, this dark navy, figure-hugging velvet number would have the best stories to tell.

Princess Diana wore it on state visits, at royal banquets, and most memorably to a gala dinner at the White House in 1985 when she took to the dance floor with Hollywood star John Travolta.

The Victor Edelstein gown will go under the hammer at a vintage fashion auction in London in March, along with nine other of Diana's lavish evening dresses. In total, Kerry Taylor Auctions say the sale is expected to raise more than 800,000 pounds (US$1.2 million.)

The dresses, all in the signature 1980s look — padded shoulders, puffed sleeves, crushed velvet — are snapshots in the princess's glamorous, jet-setting life.

One Catherine Walker long-sleeved gown in sea-green sequins was worn to a grand Vienna theater; a burgundy velvet gown with a plunging back, by the same designer, was paired with the Spencer tiara on a visit to Canberra, Australia; and a black, beaded velvet gown, also by Walker, was worn in 1997 for a Vanity Fair photo shoot by Mario Testino.

But the most celebrated item was the Edelstein gown with off-the-shoulder straps, which Diana chose for her and Prince Charles' first joint visit to the White House.

The princess paired it with a stunning sapphire and pearl choker for a state dinner given by President Ronald Reagan, where, after dinner, she and Travolta twirled on the White House dance floor to tunes from the actor's hit movie "Saturday Night Fever."

Travolta said afterward: "She turned around and she did that look that she did so, so beautifully and I asked if she would care to dance and she said she'd love to."

The gown, which Diana wore on at least four other occasions, is expected to sell for up to 300,000 pounds.

The other dresses, valued from 30,000 pounds to 120,000 pounds, include a pale pink A-line gown and bolero set, both richly embroidered in crystals and sequins; a one-shouldered cream and floral-embroidered number; and a white chiffon cocktail dress with a draped skirt.

Diana decided to sell dozens of her dresses at a New York charity auction at the suggestion of her son, Prince William, in 1997 — three months before she died in a Paris car crash. Florida-based socialite Maureen Dunkel bought about a dozen of the dresses — including the ten to be sold next month — and put them up for auction in Canada in 2011, but the prices were set too high and many dresses didn't sell.

Kerry Taylor Auctions declined to disclose the identity of the sellers for the dresses in the upcoming auction. Taylor said only that this time the prices are "realistic" and buyers have already shown interest.